Princess Margriet of The Netherlands and Pieter van Vollenhoven: January 10, 1967

[Anna_R]

A picture from their engagement on January 1st, 1967 and a couple of pictures from their big day

 

[Marengo]

Well, it might be interesting to know that the pattern of her dress is in daisies (Margriet is dutch for Daisy). Her bouquet was also made from these flowers. Margriet was wearing the base of Queen Sophie's coronet with pearl and diamond buttons. Queen Beatrix wore the tiara at her inhauguration in 1980 while Maxima wears the base of the tiara but with diamond stars, on a frequent baasis (most natably during her wedding).

 

[Mandy]

1 & 2 Margriet & Pieter before their wedding.
3. Margriet & Pieter signing their banns at City Hall before their wedding.

 

[Mandy]

Margriet & Pieter on their wedding day.

 

[pdas1201]

The couple's engagement was announced on March 10, 1965 and they got married on January 10, 1967 in The Hague.

 

[Squidgy]

Thanks for the lovely pictures everyone!

Here are a few more from around the time of their engagement.

 

[Squidgy]

For those who are interested, the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision has digitally restored some footage from Margriet & Pieter's engagement, visit to City Hall and their wedding.

They have also done the same for Juliana, Beatrix (smoke bombs and all) and Irene's wedding.

They are quite fun to watch - everyone is so young, in love and less "polished" then they are today!

It is all in Dutch of course, but it is pretty easy to figure out what is going on.

The videos can be found at http://www.beeldengeluid.nl/template_subnav.jsp?navname=polygoon_themas&category=collectie_informatie&artid=12585

On the right side of the main page, there is a heading, called "Fragmenten". Under that there are various pictures of Juliana, Beatrix, etc. Within each group you can pick whether you wish to view using Real Player or Windows Media Player. Then just select "breed" or "smal".

 

[Alexandria]

Thank you pdas1201 and Squidy for the wonderful pictures of Margriet and Pieter at their engagement and on their wedding day!

I have always had a special fondness for the Apeldoorn branch of the Dutch royal family. Margriet and Pieter and their sons and their respective wives and fiancees are such down-to-earth, friendly and humble royals.

 

[misshelen]

Pictures without watermark unknown sources

 

[iowabelle]

That's the same tiara Maxima now wears with the stars, instead of the round pearls, right?

 

[Mandy]

Margriet's and Pieter's wedding took place at Sint Jacobskerk, The Hague.

Here is a picture of Beatrix and Claus leaving the church. (ANP)

 

[SpiffyBallerina]

I think a blue octopus sat on Beatrix's head!

I'm certainly not a big fan of Princess Margriet's dress, but there's nothing particularly ugly about it. And Pieter is just so cute looking -he's got that sweet nerd look about him that is very endearing. They make for a very sweet couple,

 

[pdas1201]

Engagement, March 10 1965





Wedding, January 10 1967

 

[Marengo]

For those who are interested, the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision has digitally restored some footage from Margriet & Pieter's engagement, visit to City Hall and their wedding.



The videos can be found at http://www.beeldengeluid.nl/template_subnav.jsp?navname=polygoon_themas&category=collectie_informatie&artid=12585

Thank you so much for this link, I just spend two hours looking at all the royal filmfootage, it is so wonderfull. My favourites are the wedding of Juliana and Bernhard and the enthronements of Juliana and Beatrix. My grandmother and great-aunt went to both the wedding and the enthronement of Juliana and still share anecdotes about these days with me (and the rest of the family). I think you made me addicted to this site, squidgy!

 

[Elsa M.]

A few more photos, from Paris Match:

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x63/belerma/MargrietP.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x63/belerma/MargrietPP.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x63/belerma/MargrietPPP.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x63/belerma/Margriet.jpg

 

[JessRulz]

Video of their engagement and wedding, from the Princes of Orange: Engagements & Weddings DVD

YouTube - Engagement & Wedding of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

 

[dbarn67]

Wedding of Princess Margriet (not sure if I've already posted this one. if so, sorry)

YouTube - Engagement & Wedding of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

 

[lucien]

Had to delve quite a bit to find this thread again.

A lovely warm couple,then as now:

Wedding of HRH Princess Margriet and dear Pieter van Vollenhoven:

NOS - Koningshuis - Video - Prinses Margriet trouwt met Pieter van Vollenhoven

 

[IloveCP]

Hate everything about her look.I don't think her dress was interesting nor did it do anything for her.But her hair?

 

[NGalitzine]

Margriet is one of those women who become much better looking as they age.

 

[Jacknch]

I have just heard an extraordinary video on Youtube which appears to be a record made by Margriet and Pieter for their 12th (?) wedding anniversary singing a song called "Samen". The video is titled "Unieke geluidsopname "Samen" gezongen door Mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven en prinses Margriet". It's quite a jolly song.

 

[IloveCP]

The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor: Wedding Wednesday: Princess Margriet's Gown

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Pictures without watermark unknown sources

My favorite photograph is Princess Margriet with the little boy and the little girl.
It is nice to include children as participants on the bride's wedding day.
​

 

[Marengo]

I have just been reading an authorised biography of Pieter van Vollenhoven. I never realised just how difficult their engagement and wedding was. Queen Juliana was the only one in favor of the match it seems. The court, Bernhard, Armgard, Beatrix, several ministers etc. were all against it, as were much of Pieter's friends and family from the patriciate and nobility of Rotterdam, including his own parents. The latter were actually greatly embarrassed as for a man to marry 'above' his station in life was considered an enormous faux pas which showed lack of character.

Apart from all the resentment, disapproval and shame, there was also a big issue with the wedding location. Something I never heard of before. The root of it was the wedding of Princess Irene.

The Dutch government did not want the wedding of Irene to become a focus point for a pro-carlist demonstration and was against a grand wedding in The Hague. To evade embarrassement, the Parma family was told that all younger princesses would marry in Baarn, including Irene. The Parma's didn't find the location grand enough and opted for Rome instead, much to the relief of the government.

Now when it was Margriet's turn she very much wanted to get married in The Hague, like ALL Dutch princesses before her (save her two elder sisters). Carlos-Hugo and Irene were dead set against it due to the agreement made about their own wedding. Bernhard -of course- supported his favourite daughter Irene, as did Armgard. Beatrix did so too as she was unhappy with a Dutch commoner being married into the family (although the Van Vollenhoven family can be considered more prestigious than the Von Amsbergs). Juliana tried to navigate her way but quietly agreed with Margriet.

Prime minister Cals received various contradictory messages an phone calls from members of the family. Some said Margriet wanted to get married in Baarn, some said Juliana was in favor of it too, or that Bernhard was in favor of a wedding in The Hague etc. The latter thing was followed with two angry phone calls from Bernhard to the PM, in which he said he was strongly against a wedding in The Hague, and so was his wife, he claimed. Queen Juliana -who was listening to the phone call- called the PM 5 minutes later, saying she was not against a wedding in The Hague at all.

Juliana didn't want to force a family row over the matter but asked the PM if he could not insist on a wedding in The Hague? Initially the PM didn't want to get into this family quarrel. In the end the thing was settled by the mayor of The Hague who said that his city would be angry if the wedding would take place elsewhere.

Princess Margriet probably wanted The Hague also to show that she thought she actually strengthened the monarchy with her choice of a Dutch commoner for a husband. An idea that was always supported by her mother and which was also discussed with her late grandmother Queen Wilhelmina -to whom she was much closer than her other sisters were as she spent many weekends with the old queen at Het Loo Palace. Wilhelmina thought that a marriage to a Dutch commoner would show the strong bond between the house of Orange and the people of The Netherlands. She disliked the nobility immensely and did not want any noble families get any ideas into their heads by being related to the RF. In the end Margriet, Juliana and Wilhelmina were right of course. Princess Armgard didn't attend the wedding out of protest btw, though the official explanation was that she had fallen ill.

 

[Lee-Z]

^^^^^^ Interesting read, i didn't realize things got that bad either...

 

[SLV]

Oh dear. I never knew that.

 

[principessa]

Is this biography also available in Germany?

 

[Marengo]

The biography is from 2002, I stumbled on it in the local library. It highlights Pieter's difficulties in getting himself established and his eventual rehabilitation. The book argues that behind closed doors, this marriage was much more controversial than the ones of Beatrix or even of Irene.
The book is only available in Dutch.

It also claimed that Beatrix was against Bernhard jr. seeking official approval from parlament for his wedding. But it does not elaborate in detail why and how, though the author assumes that Annette's background may have something to do with it (working class). The government did not understand why Maurits would get aproval and his brother not, so they went against Beatrix.
In the end Beatrix' got her way in not allowing the offspring of Bernhard or his younger siblings to add the 'van Lippe Biesterfeld' to the surnames.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

[...] She disliked the nobility immensely and did not want any noble families get any ideas into their heads by being related to the RF. [...]

That must be the "new" Wilhelmina from after her exile during WWII. Before WWII there was no any place in the Netherlands with more nobles cluttered than the royal court!

Queen Wilhelmina made sure her own daughter Juliana was placed in a private class with only girls from the nobility: Jonkvrouw Maria de Jonge, Elise Baroness Bentinck, Elizabeth Baroness van Hardenbroek and Princess Juliana of the Netherlands.

Of course, the cluttered nobility was also a source of intrigues and feuds, as we could see during the Hofmans Crisis, when a part of the Household took side with Queen Juliana and another part followed Prince Bernhard.

 

[maria-olivia]

This is interesting.
If one wedding was lucky among Bernhard and Juliana's daughers is is Princess Margriet. What nice 4 boys they have striking all to gether against cancer.

the late Prince Friso's wedding was not easy too.